


The Rain Came Pouring Down

by SpookyBubble



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Eventual Romance, Fluff, M/M, Minor Injuries, Prompto Gets Mugged, will add more tags as necessary
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-17
Updated: 2017-09-19
Packaged: 2018-12-31 00:34:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12120702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpookyBubble/pseuds/SpookyBubble
Summary: Prompto gets mugged on his way home from the arcade and Gladio comes to walk him home.





	1. Chapter 1

It was really late when Prompto finally left the arcade, but it didn’t matter because it wasn’t a school night and there wasn’t anyone at home to scold him anyway. Stepping out onto the sidewalk, he sighed and headed for home, the crisp evening air making him shiver and curse his lack of forethought – a hoodie would have been great right about now. He was about halfway home when a sound caught his attention and he pulled his headphones down around his neck, looking around for the source. Seeing nothing, he continued on his way, albeit a little more wary of his surroundings.

He hadn’t taken but a dozen steps when someone stepped out from an alley in front of him and demanded his money and cell phone. Standing there dumbfounded, Prompto didn’t reply or make any move. The stranger growled and made his demand again, but this time the blond turned tail and ran. He wasn’t sure where he was going, but maybe he could lose the guy and hide for awhile. Even running as hard as he could, the guy caught up easily and overpowered him. After a few blows to the nose and jaw, he took Prompto’s wallet and cell phone, then ran off leaving him rattled and bleeding.

Prompto sat on the ground leaning against the building behind him for awhile as he tried to stem the blood flowing from his nose. Tears ran down his freckled cheeks as he instinctively reached for his phone to text Noct, then cursed realizing it was gone. Realizing sitting alone in the dark was doing him no good, he made the decision to scurry home and call Noct from there. Carefully, he let go of his nose and prodded it gently. It throbbed angrily at him, but seemed to have stopped bleeding so he stood and started making his way home again just as the sky opened up and rain poured down.

“Stellar night you’re having Prompto.” He muttered to himself, wrapping thin arms around an equally thin body.

“There you are.” A deep voice said from behind him, making him practically jump out of his skin. He spun around, fists up, ready to throw punches at anyone that came near him, but dropped them quickly seeing Noctis’s bodyguard, Gladio. The taller boy raised an eyebrow at the state of him, soaking wet and bloody. “The hell happened to you?”

“I got mugged.” Prompto answer miserably.

Moving to stand closer, Gladio held the umbrella out so it also shielded the younger boy from the rain then reached into his pocket and pulled out a bandanna so Prompto could wipe off his face. “I’d ask if you’re okay, but you’re bloody. Want me to walk you home?”

“Would you mind?” Prompto asked, taking the offered bandanna and wiping off as much blood as he could.

“I offered, didn’t I?” Gladio chuckled before turning and heading in the direction of Prompto’s house. The blond walked close than strictly necessary, trying to absorb any heat that he could as his soaked clothes made him shudder from cold. Noticing the shivers, the older boy stopped and held the umbrella out for Prompto then took off his hoodie and handed it over.

“What, but won’t you be cold?” Prompto asked, giving Gladio a confused look as he took the offered hoodie.

“Just put it on and say thank you.”

Not needing to be told twice, Prompto pulled it on and sunk into it. “Thanks!” He chirped as he pulled up the hood and reveled in the warmth of the oversized hoodie. It looked like a tent on him with sleeves that stopped well past his hands and a hem that stopped mid-thigh. “So, why were you looking for me?”

“Princess was worried when you didn’t answer his texts or call.” Gladio replied, glancing down at the small blond who looked really cute with his hair plastered to his cheeks and bundled up in his hoodie.

“Oh, well, thanks for walking me home.” Prompto said with a small smile as they arrived at his house. He moved to take off the hoodie, but Gladio stopped him and told him he could return it another time then bid him a good night. The blond watched him walk away, ignoring the slight fluttering in his stomach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This whole thing started when I was talking to Raufnir and she mentioned Prom drowning in Gladio's hoodie. I intended on it being a fluffy one shot, but it got away from me so enjoy chapter one of...?


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gladio returns Prompto's stolen items; the sweet blond returns Gladdy's hoodie.

“So the guy took everything?” Noctis asked his best friend, eyes focused on their video game where he was attempting to kill the crap out of the enemies.

“Yeah, my wallet and cell phone. I mean, I didn’t have a bunch of stuff in my wallet since I don’t like carrying much, but – dude, watch where you’re shooting! But like, all my progress in King’s Knight, gone! Poof!” Prompto complained as he focused on not getting shot by Noct’s character. His jaw and eye on the right side of his face sported bruises from the encounter and he’d understandably declined Noct’s offer to go to the arcade, though he’d almost given in when the prince mentioned Gladio had offered to walk them home.

“Well, stuff can be replaced. Just glad you’re mostly okay.” Noct said, glancing at the blond for a moment with a small smile.

“Yeah, thanks Noct.” He replied with a sunny smile, “Me too.”

They played video games for several more hours before Ignis called to say that Noctis was going to be late for a meeting and had best get back to his apartment. The advisor informed the prince that he had already laid out appropriate garments and left notes for the meeting on his kitchen counter. “Right. Got it. Thanks Specs.” Noct yawned as he stood and stretched, then hung up and tucked the phone into his pocket. “Guess that’s my queue. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Prompto bid his best friend goodbye, then flopped onto his sofa and pressed his palms to his eyes. He’d been having a hard time sleeping the last few nights since the incident. He’d wake up in the wee hours of the morning, swearing he heard something then been unable to get back to sleep even after checking the house several times. Leaving the lights on didn’t seem to help either.

Sometime later the blond was jolted awake by the sound of his doorbell ringing. Pulling himself off the sofa, he scrubbed sleep from his eyes and stumbled to the door. He opened it to find Gladio standing on his doorstep. Standing there at a loss for words, he swallowed his sudden nervousness and stepped aside to let him in. “Uh...hey there big guy, w-what’s up?”

“I just wanted to return your stuff.” Gladio said as he stepped inside, shutting the door behind him to keep out the chilly breeze.

“My stuff?” Prompto asked, giving the taller boy a dumbfounded look.

“Yeah, I got your phone and wallet back. Figured you’d be needing them.” Gladio explained, handing over the items. The blond took them and gaped, nervousness forgotten for the moment.

“How did you-? Wow, I don’t even know what to say. Thanks Gladio!” Prompto said, words coming out in a single rushed breath as he opened his cell phone and booted up King’s Knight to see his character waiting right where he’d left off.

“Don’t mention it.” Gladio said, waving a hand to brush off the thanks as he turned to leave.

“Wait! Do you want to stay for coffee or something? It’s the least I could do to pay you back. Or – no, you probably have stuff to do, right? Sorry, uh, lemme just grab your hoodie while you’re here. You probably want it back, right?” Prompto rambled, never giving the other boy a chance to answer any of the questions before he rushed upstairs to get said hoodie. He left a dazed Gladio standing alone in the entryway. Though he wasn’t alone long enough to even properly take in his surroundings before Prompto returned with the borrowed hoodie. “I didn’t have a chance to wash it. Sorry.”

“It’s fine, but I gotta go. Royal duty calls.” Gladio said, taking the hoodie and pulling it on. “Later Prompto.”

“Later.” The blond echoed, trying to hide the disappointment in his voice as he closed the door behind the shield. With a soft sigh, he turned and headed for bed since there wasn’t much else to do.

As Gladio walked back to his truck, he noticed the hoodie no longer smelled like him. In fact, it smelled like Prompto and the image of the small blond drowning in his hoodie the other night drifted back to his mind. The memory stirred something in him and he pondered on it the entire drive back to the citadel, unaware of the small smile curling his lips. It wasn’t until he parked that a thought occurred to him and he grabbed his cell phone, deciding to take a chance. Texting the blond, he asked if it was too late to take a rain check on the coffee.

Somewhere across town, Prompto’s phone chimed happily as he received a text. Making a blind grab for his phone, he pulled his head out from under his pillows and read the message. Then read it again. And a third time for good measure just to make sure he’d read it correctly. He typed out and deleted several replies (all of them sounded way too excited, even for him) before settling on, “No, anytime you’re free.”

He waited impatiently before receiving a text back that just said, “Cool. We’ll figure it out.” Grinning widely to himself, the blond laid down to go back to sleep. If Prompto slept better that night, he would never admit it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I suppose I could end this here, but I might continue adding here and there as I'm having a ton of fun writing this sweet fluff. Also, no beta, so I apologize for any glaring errors.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prom and Gladio meet for a coffee date, except it's not really a date. Is it?

Prompto kept telling himself that this wasn’t a date, even as he fussed over what to wear. He was just buying Gladio a coffee to thank him for getting his stolen items back. The shield was only taking him up on the offer because it was free coffee and he was just being nice. With this in mind, the blond headed to the coffee shop they’d picked out. If he was dressed a little nicer than usual, he was not going to acknowledge it.

Walking into the coffee shop several minutes early, he was surprised to see Gladio was already there. His mouth went dry as he looked over the older boy. Sure, he’d seen Gladio out of uniform, but it was usually in work out attire, hoodie and baseball cap. Today he wore jeans and a muscle shirt under a leather jacket; and he wore it well. Finding his voice, Prompto met him at the counter. “Hey bug guy. Get whatever you want, my treat!” He chirped, hoping the other didn’t notice that his voice quivered slightly from nerves. He kept repeating the “not a date” mantra in his head.

“Hey Prompto. Thanks.” Gladio said before ordering a large black coffee with a shot of espresso. He leaned on the counter and gave the barista a charming smile, which distracted her enough that she almost forgot to take Prompto’s order. After ordering his own sweet coffee drink, he forced a smile, “Well, I do owe you.”

“I won’t argue that.” Gladio replied with a smirk as he retrieved his coffee from the still blushing barista, “So we staying here or going for a walk?”

Desperate to get the shield away from the cute girl behind the counter, Prompto suggested they take a walk in the nearby park to enjoy one of the last nice days. As they stepped outside, he paused and closed his eyes for a moment, face turned towards the sun to enjoy the warmth it provided on the otherwise chilly day. Reopening his eyes, he fell in step with Gladio as they headed for their destination. “So...I’m kinda surprised you agreed to get coffee with me.” He blurted out. Not the best conversation starter, but he was curious and it was as good a place to start as any.

“Who turns down free coffee?” Gladio laughed, shoving one hand in the pocket of his jeans.

Shoulders drooping a little, Prompto hummed an agreement as he wracked his brain for another topic. It wasn’t like talking with Noct because he knew his best friend well, he didn’t really know a whole lot about Gladio. He knew he worked out a lot to stay in shape, had a sweet younger sister and liked to read. Oh! “Read any good books lately?”

As the silence stretched on between them, Gladio realized (about the same time Prompto did) that he didn’t know a lot about the other boy. He’d always thought of him as Noct’s friend and while he found the blond to be pretty damn attractive, that didn’t exactly start conversations. So when Prompto finally spoke up, he latched onto the topic and explained the basic plot of the “action” book he was currently reading. He conveniently left out that the action was broken up by romance. “Do you read?”

“Not really.” Prompto admitted, rubbing the back of his neck and giving the other a sheepish grin, “I spend most of my free time playing video games. But I read comic books and graphic novels.”

“That’s a form of reading. If you ever want to tackle something with substance though, I’d be happy to make some recommendations.” The shield said, pausing to toss their empty cups in a garbage can before entering the park. The sound of the leaves crunching under their boots echoed through the mostly empty park. “Hey! Comic books have plenty of substance!” Prompto defended with a bright laugh, “But say I was interested in other reading, what would you suggest for a noob like me?”

The blond paused and stooped, picking up a bright red leaf then looked around for the tree it came from. Spotting it, he pulled out his camera and jogged over to it, leaving Gladio to give an answer to no one. Laughing, the older boy followed the exuberant blond and watched him snap away. He was surprised when the camera flashed in his direction. “You know, I usually charge for pictures of me.”

Prompto paused and lowered his camera, giving Gladio a wide-eyed look. His mind raced for what to say, a faint blush coloring his freckled cheeks. The other just laughed, “But I’ll let you have that one for free. Since you’re cute and all.” That made the blond’s cheeks blaze red, and it quickly spread to his ears. Had Gladio seriously just called him cute? He stood there slack-jawed with his camera halfway to his eye as his brain struggled to catch up to the conversation. 

“I wish I had a fancy camera too so I could take a picture of your face right now.” Gladio laughed, grinning ear to ear as he watch the blond blush and stutter. Shaking out of it, Prompto forced a laugh then turned back to the tree and took more pictures of the park blanketed in autumn colors. Was Gladio making fun of him? Maybe he’d figured out that he had a crush on him. “What? You’ve got a picture of me, can’t I have one of you?” Gladio asked leaning against a tree as he watched the blond hide behind his camera.

“Why would you want one?”

“I told you, you’re cute.” The shield replied. Noct had mentioned a few times that his best friend didn’t have a lot of self-esteem; he was right. Shame really, Prompto was attractive and fun to be around. Gladio knew that not everyone could have his confidence, so maybe the blond just needed someone to help build him up a little.

Pausing again, Prompto looked at the other boy over his shoulder with a small smile. “Okay, fine. You can take a picture of me with your phone.” He put his camera away and posed for a picture. The setting sun cast a golden hue over the whole park, making his blond hair gleam. Gladio just admired him for a moment before snapping a pic.

“I’m never the one on the other side of the lenses. Feels weird, ya know?” Prompto chuckled, stepping back on the path to continue their walk. The sun was just starting to dip behind the taller buildings dotting the Crown City’s skyline. As the shadows got longer, the true chill on the air set in so he leaned against Gladio. “You’re like a human furnace!”

Casually, the taller boy slung an arm around the blond’s shoulders. “And you’re apparently a human icicle. Why don’t we call it a night before you freeze to death?”

Snuggling into the warmth of Gladio’s side, Prompto sighed. “Okay. Just promise that if I die on the way home, you won’t let my corpse freeze in some stupid position. Like – I don’t wanna be stuck cuddling my knees to my chest forever. Make sure I’m holding my camera or something.” Laughing, the shield agreed that he could probably manage that. 

The rest of their walk home was uneventful and nice. They made small talk or just enjoyed a comfortable silence, pausing every so often for Prompto to snap a few pictures of something. As they walked up to the blond’s front door, both struggled with how to end the night. It wasn’t a date exactly, but maybe it could lead to more. Deciding his confidence didn’t do him any good if he couldn’t make a decision here, Gladio asked Prompto if he’d be interested in going on a real date sometime.  
“I’d like that Gladio.” The blond replied with a grin that lit up his whole face, “Text me to let me know when you’re free and I’ll make sure I am too. You can pick since I suggested coffee.”

“Sounds like a plan.” The taller boy said with an answering smile. He chuckled when the blond leaned in and hugged him tightly, then he squeaked out a “night” and rushed into the house like he’d stolen a kiss. Damn he was cute.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter came to me on lunch today and I knocked out a good half of it before I had to go back to work. It was just so much fun to write! Again, no beta so please forgive any errors.


End file.
